Reflection
At first glance, the vineyard parable in today’s Gospel seems directed at the Pharisees and their behavior. The owner’s servants remind us of the prophets sent by God, whose words were rejected again and again. The son of the owner who is killed by the tenants is, of course, Jesus, the Son of God.
The tenants forgot their role. They were stewards entrusted with the care of the vineyard, but over time began thinking and acting like owners. The vineyard no longer felt like a gift received from another. It became something to possess, protect, and control. Their gratitude slowly turned into entitlement.
That temptation is closer to us than we may wish. Our culture encourages us to think first about ownership: my life, my success, my property, my future.
Yet the parable clearly reminds us that the vineyard was here before the tenants arrived and would remain after they were gone. The same is true for us. Creation itself is not ultimately ours. It is entrusted to us for a time.
In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis wrote, “We are not God. The earth was here before us, and it has been given to us.” That simple truth changes the way we see everything. When we see creation as property, we consume it. When we see it as gift, we reverence and protect it. The same is true of our relationships, communities, and even our faith. Stewards care for what has been entrusted to them because they remember it belongs to God.
The tragedy of the tenants is that they rejected the son and forgot the owner. We are invited today to recover that memory. Everything we have, everything we are, and everything we love began as gift and ultimately returns to God. To remember that is to live with gratitude, humility and reverence before God.
